Heat and Scars
by jackandsamforever
Summary: This was written for the prompt issued on the Lizzington Shipper's FB page. Liz sees Red's scars. How does she react to them?


**AN: **This is for the prompt issued on the FB Lizzington Shipper's page. Liz sees Red's scars. I would love to hear what you think (good or bad). Thanks for reading! :)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing related to the Blacklist.

* * *

"Red, it's going to rain. Look at the clouds." Liz turned around and pointed at the ominous looking thunderhead that was fast approaching them as they walked along the path next to the Hudson River in New York.

Red glanced behind them and narrowed his eyes behind amber-colored sunglasses at the offending clouds, then shrugged. "It's so hot out that I think a little rain would help cool things down."

Liz rolled her eyes as she continued to look at the dark gray, almost black clouds. "We don't even have an umbrella."

When he didn't respond, she turned to see that he was already out of earshot and was rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt as he walked away from her. She caught up to him quickly and bumped into him with her shoulder on purpose, but made it sound like an accident. "Sorry, didn't mean to."

He looked at her with pursed lips but didn't say anything as he finished with his sleeves. It was approaching 95 degrees with 100% humidity, and they were both miserable; he didn't even have a tie or vest on which was extremely unusual for him.

They were in New York to meet with a contact about Berlin, but the man hadn't shown up to the meeting, and that had put Red in a sour mood. She didn't have Dembe to help her deal with this side of Red this time, as he was still in DC doing something "pressing" for Red.

She pulled her thin cap-sleeved blue t-shirt from her body to pry it away from her sweat soaked skin; Her whole body was so covered in sweat that she felt like jumping in the river just to wash it off of her. She imagined that Red was worse off. At least she was wearing shorts; he still had black pants and dress shoes on.

They didn't have anything more to do that day until Red found out where his contact had run off to; so they had agreed to stretch their legs while they waited. She was regretting making that suggestion now, and judging by the looks he was giving her, he blamed her for their predicament too.

A gust of hot wind whipped at their backs and Red quickly took hold of his fedora so it wouldn't blow away, then stuck it back on after the wind died down with an exasperated sigh.

"So how are you going to find your contact, Red?"

He stopped and leaned against the white railing next to them then said over his shoulder, "I have my people working on it. We're free to do as we please until they contact me."

Liz sighed and sidled up next to him, then put her forearms on the warm railing and watched some birds floating on the river below them. The water was choppy so they looked like they were tiny boats trying to keep from capsizing in rough waters. A small smile stole over her face at the thought and Red nudged her with his shoulder. "What's so funny?"

She shook her head and gave him a wide smile. "Nothing really, I think I'm delirious from the heat."

He huffed a quiet laugh, but didn't say anything as he turned to stare out at the cityscape before them. She couldn't help but admire his profile with his strong jawline and well-shaped sideburns; she loved his sideburns. They gave him character.

Liz swallowed nervously at the direction her thoughts were taking her and realized how dry her throat was.

She reached over and grabbed his forearm and pulled him away from the railing. "Come on, I'm thirsty. Where can we get something to drink around here?"

He didn't resist, and she didn't let go as she trailed her fingers down to his and grabbed a hold of them as she led them down the path.

He gestured with his head at something in front of them. "I do believe there is a stand that sells ice cream and such just ahead. Can you hold off on your thirst for a while longer, or do I need to carry you?" She could hear the sarcasm in his voice, but she chose not to rise to the bait, and instead teased him.

"I might need to be carried, I'm feeling pretty light-headed." She gave him an innocent look.

He pulled his fingers from her grasp and held his arms out in front of him as they continued to walk. "Jump on." He looked serious, and Liz found herself actually considering doing just that, but thought better of it as the last second when she saw the hint of amusement on his face.

She punched his shoulder lightly and shook her head as the stand he had referred to came into view only twenty yards or so away. Instead of saying anything more to embarrass herself, she quickened her pace and reached the stand before he did.

She looked over the small menu and turned to Red as he reached her. "I think I want ice cream now."

He shrugged. "Get whatever you want, sweetheart."

She shot him a look of warning at his use of the familiar endearment, but chose not to comment in front of the woman who was waiting for them to order. "I don't want a whole one though. If I get one, will you eat some of it?"

She wasn't afraid to share food with him any longer; they'd done it a lot lately. They were still on the run from the FBI trying to track down Berlin. It had been months since his entrance into the US, but they still hadn't found a trace of the elusive man; they were both frustrated and often argued and bickered because of it. But there were also quiet moments between them that she secretly cherished. Sometimes he would join her in her hotel room and watch TV on the bed with her. They usually watched the news, but sometimes he would have her turn the channel to ESPN so he could check the baseball and soccer scores. She would lie down next to him as closely as she dared, and he would move his fingers through her hair and down her arms softly. She had found him still in bed with her in the morning more than a few times; but their physical relationship hadn't progressed from a few innocuous touches here and there. They never spoke about the fact that they were growing closer as the months passed by, but they both were afraid to discuss whatever it was that was between them.

She still hadn't forgiven him for Sam, but she forced herself to relegate it to the back of her mind so she wouldn't put a bullet in his brain; she wouldn't get the answers she needed if she did that, and lately she found that she didn't want to kill him anymore. That was progression in her eyes.

"Lizzie." A hand landed on her lower back, then slipped around her waist as she looked up at him with questioning eyes.

She blinked, then raised her eyebrows at him. He smiled sarcastically, then said loudly enough for the woman looking at them to hear. "Are you going to order or do you want me to do it for you?" She was being deliberately distracted by his thumb that moved under the hem of her shirt and began to move under the waistband of her shorts. Bastard.

She reached up and grabbed his hand, then pulled it out from under her shirt and around her waist snugly so he couldn't tease her more. "Oh, um." She looked at the menu one more time, then smiled at the obviously annoyed woman. "Can I please get two scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough on a waffle cone, and one bottle of water?"

The woman nodded and began to make her cone as Red pulled his arm away from her waist and pulled his wallet out from his back pocket. This was another point of contention between them. Money use. She didn't have any source of income at the moment because the damned FBI froze all of her accounts. She hated being dependent on him, but she knew she didn't have a choice. She also knew that he didn't mind, and that it hurt her pride more than anything.

The woman finished the ice cream cone and handed it to Liz, then dug a bottle of water from the cooler behind her and handed it to Red. "That'll be $7.00."

Red rose his eyebrows at the price, but took the money out of his wallet and paid her without a word. Red and Liz turned and walked back the way they came; it was time to return to their hotel before the storm hit, but judging by the looks of it, they weren't going to make it. Liz licked her ice cream as they walked in silence, it was good, but the high wind and debris flying around made it hard to eat. When she was down to the last scoop, she handed it to Red and took the water from his hand. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

She opened the water and took a drink as she watched Red work on the ice cream from the corner of her eye. She tried not to stare, but it was intoxicating. He glanced at her and she quickly averted her eyes and screwed the lid back on the water. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you want any more?"

She shook her head. "I'm good. Just finish it."

He nodded and stuck the rest of the cone in his mouth in one bite. She suppressed a grin as she watched the normally proper Red struggle with the amount of food in his mouth. As he finally chewed enough to swallow, Liz reached up unthinkingly and wiped some crumbs from the corner of his mouth with her thumb. She could feel the faint stubble on his chin as she trailed her thumb down. Before she could remove her hand, he caught her wrist and kissed the inside of it softly in thanks. She looked at him shyly, and he opened his mouth to say something, but the boom of thunder overhead stopped him. They both glanced up at the same time and saw that the black, angry looking clouds were directly overhead; they'd been so focused on each other that they hadn't noticed how quickly the storm had already arrived.

"Lizzie," Red said warningly.

"What?" She didn't look at him as she continued to watch the swirling clouds above. A raindrop landed on her nose.

"I suggest we move if you don't want to get wet or hit by lightning."

She finally looked at him to see a concerned expression on his face; he was right. Her shirt was thin, and if it got wet then everyone would be able to see everything; same went with Red's white shirt.

She nodded as they both began a slow jog towards their hotel; she cursed herself for insisting that they walk so far. They reached the end of the path within minutes and waited at the stoplight for the "walk" sign to flash.

Just as it indicated for them to walk, the heavens opened up and poured down on them. There was little they could do but run as quickly as possible; they had at least three or four blocks to go until they reached the hotel. By the time they reached the next block, they were both soaked to the skin. Red handed over his limp fedora and indicated that she should cover her chest as best she could with it. She nodded at him thanks and put the hat to her chest, then followed after him as they ran across the next street, swerving and avoiding people who were in the same predicament.

They reached their hotel a few minutes later. They were both out of breath as they walked inside the lobby and tried to avoid the glares that the front desk person was shooting them for dripping all over their perfectly polished floor; Liz couldn't bring herself to care.

They rode up the elevator in silence as she continued to clutch the fedora to her chest. Goosebumps broke out over her skin as the cool air from the air-conditioned elevator hit her. She began to shiver, and Red stepped closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, then pulled her to his chest. She buried her face in his warm neck and immediately felt her tremors dissipate. Their stop came soon after and he let her pull away, then followed after her as they walked to their adjoining rooms. She pulled her card out of her wet shorts with difficulty, then turned to watch him do the same. She smiled at him and said, "I'm going to shower."

He nodded. "I'm going to do the same. Hopefully by then we'll hear from my people."

She smiled faintly then walked in her room and shut the door without another word.

OOOOOO

She showered, dried off and styled her hair, then dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white t-shirt. She was warm and comfortable again, and wondered if Red had heard anything in the hour or so since she'd last seen him. She picked up his wet fedora from the bed and walked over to their adjoining doors and knocked lightly. When she didn't hear an answer, she knocked a little louder; still nothing.

They never locked their doors, so she opened hers, then his slowly and peered inside his room. Nothing was amiss, but she still didn't see him.

She walked inside a little hesitantly, but resisted calling out to him. She glanced around the immediate area, but he was nowhere to be seen. She walked to the first bedroom, but the door was wide open and the room was empty. Their rooms were luxury suites; both had two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living area. She walked to the next bedroom quietly and saw that the door was cracked open.

Red's angry voice from inside the room startled her, but it quickly became clear that he wasn't talking to her. "What do you mean you can't find him? I pay you a lot of money, Jose, and I expect you to do your job." There was a pause, and she heard Red sigh in annoyance. "No, I don't want you to give up. Keep looking, and don't leave any stone unturned. I expect some new information by morning."

She heard his phone snap shut, then silence. She walked forward and pushed the door open, then stopped at the sight before her. He had his back to her, dressed in only a pair of black trousers. Her mouth opened in shock as she saw the scars that covered his back; she covered her mouth with her hand and stood there.

Without turning around he said quietly, "I guess I should be angry that you didn't knock, but you were bound to find out eventually." He turned around slowly and looked at her as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"You."

He rose his eyebrows. "Me?"

"It was you. You saved me from the fire..not my father." She pulled her hand away from her mouth and took a step towards him, dropping his wet fedora to the ground.

He blinked his tears back and pursed his lips. "Yes."

"I..I accused you of never having a selfless moment in your life. I didn't know, Red, I swear." Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

He strode up to her and pulled her into a crushing hug. "You couldn't have known, sweetheart. It was my fault that you were in the fire in the first place."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and let herself be comforted by him, even though it should be the other way around. He had always been the selfless one, but she was now just seeing that; it hurt her to think about how she'd treated him over the last year.

Liz knew that his admission should anger her, but she also knew that he wouldn't have killed her real father for no reason. She would ask him about it later, but right now she just wanted to be comforted.

He had paid dearly to save her life, and she needed him to know how much she appreciated it.

She pulled away from him slightly, then cupped his jaw with her hands and pulled his lips down to hers. She kissed him softly, almost reverently. Their lips moved together, but neither tried to deepen it. This wasn't a kiss of passion, that would come later, it was a kiss of forgiveness. She moved her hands to his back and ran her fingers down his back softly, tracing the contours of his badge of honor. She knew they must not hurt him since he didn't protest at her movements.

She pulled her lips away from his and smiled at him softly. "Thank you."

He swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbled noticeably. "I never thought I would have the privilege of hearing that from you."

She leaned forward and kissed his jaw softly. No more words were needed as he leaned down to kiss her again. He would show her how grateful he was for her acceptance of him and his scars.


End file.
